Hasps



March 7, 1961 e. P. J. SQUIRE HAsPs Filed Dec. 19, 1958 /N VEN TOE @mlm 740 Jamal 32m QTTOEAJEU HASPS Filed Dec. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 781,566

2 Claims. (Cl. 292-281) This invention relates to hasps for use in securing.

a door or other member which it is required to retain in a position of closure or proximity in relation to an associated member such as a door jamb, door frame, or surround or some other member such as a companion door, the hasp comprising an attachment element hingedly connected with the hasp element to enable it to be moved from an operative position in which it extends from the attachment element whereby when in use it overlaps with said associated member, the hasp element having an aperture or formation enabling it to be passed over a staple or into cooperative relation with a retaining element secured or adapted to be secured to said associated member, and the hasp element by its hinged connection with the attachment element being capable of being folded back to an inoperative position out of overlapped relation with the associated member so as to release it from the staple or retaining element.

In the application of a hasp of the kind specified in the preceeding paragraph a locking member is normally provided in association with the hasp element, such locking member comprising, for example, a padlock, which is interlinked with the staple after the hasp element has been passed over the staple or alternatively the locking member may be in the form of a cotter pin or bar which is similarly passed through the staple.

The invention is, however, applicable to a hasp element adapted in some other manner to co-operate with a retaining element. For example, the retaining element could itself be provided with a movable head part which can be set in a releasing position permitting of release of the hasp element and a retaining position in which Such part presents a shoulder or abutment preventing release of the hasp element.

The object of the invention is to provide a new or improved construction of hasp, the advantages whereof will be specifically pointed out in or will be apparent from the following description.

According to one aspect of the invention I provide a hasp of the kind specified wherein the hinged connection between the attachment element and the hasp element is effected by providing one of the elements with a tongue which is shaped in between its ends to form a loop which is interlinked with a limb of the other element in such a manner as to permit of relative'hinging movement of the two elements, one end of the tongue being integrally connected with the element on which it is provided or being otherwise irremovably secured thereto and the other end of the tongue being disposed at the rear face of the element on which it is provided so that when the hasp is in use the tongue is not exposed to bending or tampering.

Preferably the tongue is provided on the attachment element and the end portion of the tongue which lies to the rear of the attachment element may extend in a direction perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the rear face of the attachment element so that in use it can lie adjacent to or against an edge face of a door or member to which it is secured, this end portion of the tongue itself being adapted for securing to the door or member.

This feature of the invention is of a special advantage in that it provides for the securing for the attachment element to the door or memberat a position which will not be exposed to tampering when the door or member is in its position of closure or proximity to the associated jamb, frame or surround or associated member.

The tongue may be situated at one end of the attachment element at a position inset from the lateral edges of the attachment element, the latter including integral barrier parts spanning the looped part of the tongue at each of its lateral boundaries.

Thus, in a particularly advantageous arrangement the end portion of the attachment element at which the tongue is provided may incorporate a slot from the inner end or base of which extends the tongue, the latter being integrally connected with the attachment element at this position and being bent into U-shaped form so as to project forwardly from the front face of the attachment element outwardly of the slot, the free end of the tongue extending through the outer end slot or adjacent thereto and projecting rearwardly from the near face of the attachment element. The portions of the attachment element lying on either side of the slot constitute barrier parts as previously referred to.

As will be apparent the invention avoids the provision of any hinge pin which is structurally separate from the attachment element and hasp element, so that the hasp cannot be improperly opened by endwise removal of such hinge pin.

Preferably, a single tongue is provided on the attachment element of the hasp and in the hasp element itself is formed with an aperture adjacent to one of its ends and inset from such end and the lateral edges of the hasp element, through which aperture the tongue extends.

As a possible alternative the attachment element may be formed with two tongues spaced apart laterally of the attachment element, the end portions of these tongues which are not integrally connected or secured to the attachment element both lying behind the rear face thereof, and the space between them being occupied by a portion of the hasp element which is interlinked with these tongues. Such portion may be generally T-shaped, the laterally projecting portions of the T-shaped portion being received'within respective looped portions of the tongues and the stem being disposed between the tongues.

In any of the foregoing constructions both elements may be one piece metal plates, the tongue Or tongues provided and the limb which is interlinked with the looped portion of such tongue being formed by providing an appropriately shaped aperture in the other element inset from the boundary of such element.

This construction is extremely simple in as much as it reduces the number of structurally separate component parts incorporated in the hasp to a minimum and thereby enables the hasp to be manufactured at low cost.

Insteal of disposing the other or free end of the or each tongue at the rear of the element on which it is provided this end of the tongue may be disposed at the front face of the element on which it is provided, in which case it is secured thereto irremovably by welding, riveting or otherwise.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: V r p v 'Figure 1 is a perspective view of one construction of hasp in accordance with the invention showing it in assembled relation with a staple.

, Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation and in vertical cross-section on the line 22, Figure 1.

Patented Mar. 7, 19 1 Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a modified construction in accordance with the invention; and I Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the construction shown in Figure 3.

Referring firstly to the construction illustrated in Figure l, the hasp member has an attachment element in the form of a plate which can be made of any suitable metal such as mild steel and which may in this case be about A; inch in thickness.

The plate 10 may be of generally rectangular configuration typically measuring about 4 inches long, 1% inches wide and incorporating at its leading end a slot 11 occupying rather more than one half of the width of plate 10 and disposed centrally between the lateral edges 12 thereof.

The length of the slot 11 may be rather less than its width and typical dimensions for the slot may be about inch in width and /2 inch in length for plate dimensions as previously specified.

From the inner or base end of the slot 11 extends a tongue 13 which is united integrally with the attachment plate at this end of the slot. The tongue may be formed by slitting the metal of which the plate 10 is formed and thus has a width equal to that of the slot or slightly less.

The portion of the tongue which is nearest the end thereof connected integrally with the plate is bent into U-shape as indicated at 14, this U-shaped portion projecting forwardly from the forward face of the plate 10, separation between the limbs 15 and 16 of this U- shaped portion is measured between their outer face being equal to the length of the slot 11 so that the parts 21 of the plate 10 lying at either side of the slot 11 span the looped portion 13 and act as barrier parts positively preventing rearward removal of the limb of the hasp element extending through the looped portion. Further these barrier parts restrict access to the lateral edges of the limb 15 of the tongue in the plane of the plate 16.

The limb 15 is extended to pass through the outer end of the slot 11 as indicated at 17 and this portion 17 may have a length which is approximately equal to the extent of forward projection of the U-shaped portion 14.

In combination with the attachment plate 10 the portion or limb 17 of the tongue forms a right-angled structure which can embrace the front face and free edge face of a door or other member upon which the attachment element of the hasp is required to be mounted.

The plate 10 and the limb or portion 17 are adapted for securing to the door or member by the provision of holes 18 in the plate 10 which may be countersunk for the reception of screws, and one or more additional holes such as the hole 19 which may be of square or other non-circular configuration for the reception of a fastening element such as a coach bolt having a square or other corresponding shank portion of non-circular cross-section.

The limb or portion 17 of the tongue is preferably also adapted to be secured to the edge face of the door or member, as for example, by the provision of a countersunk screw hole 20. It will, however, be understood that other securing means could be formed on this limb or portion 17, for example a spike or lug may be provided thereon projecting more or less parallel to the plate 10 and underlying this plate so as to engage in, and become fast, with the door or member when the attachment element is installed thereon.

The hasp element 22 may be formed as a metal plate of the same material, width and thickness as the attachment plate 10. It may however, be shorter in length, being typically about two inches.

Adjacent to one end, the hasp plate 22 is formed with a rectangular aperture 23 inset from the adjacent end and from the lateral edges of the plate, in the former case by a distance appreciably less than the interior width of the U-shaped portion so as to provide an integral limb 24 which in efiect forms the pintle of the hinge structure connecting the plates 10 and 11, the U-shaped portion 14- and barrier parts 21 on the former constituting the bearing portion of the hinge structure.

It will of course be understood that in the manufacture of the hasp, interlinking of the plates 22 and 10 by passage of the portions 15 and 17 of the tongue through the aperture 23, is effected before these portions 15 and 17 are forced back into the outer end or mouth of the slot 11.

Adjacent to its outer end the plate 22 is formed with a further aperture 25 also inset from this end and the lateral edges of the plate 22 to enable it to be passed over a staple 26 or other retaining element as previously mentioned, which staple or retaining element may be secured to an attachment plate 27 provided with screw holes 28 enabling it to be fastened to the door jamb, frame, or surround, or other associated member.

Preferably the plate 27 is of a width which does not exceed that of the hasp, nor does it project endwise beyond the latter so that screws extending through the holes 28 are concealed and protected against removal by the overlying hasp plate 22.

If desired the barrier parts 21 could inter-engage with the tongue in the region of the junction of the portions 15 and 17 by forming the lateral edges of the tongue with abutment formations such as slots into which marginal portions of the barrier parts 21 at their inner edges could project, thereby positively securing the tongue against prising up or tampering from the front of the attachment plate '10 independently of the securing of the tongue effected by a screw or other attachment element through the hole 20.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, two tongues are provided On the attachment plate these being spaced apart laterally, and the hasp plate 22 includes apertures 23 in the form of slots, the plate 10 including a central barrier part which spans the U-shaped portions 14 of the tongues as seen particularly in Figure 6 and preventing removal of the cross piece or limb 24 of the resultant T-shaped portion which exists on the end of the hasp plate and which is interlinked with the attachment element. The stem 30 of this portion lies between the two U-shaped portions 14 of the tongues.

In the illustrated construction the hasp plate and attachment plate 10 are disposed end-to-end when, as seen in Figure 1, the hasp is in use and the hasp element interengaged with its associated staple 26 or other retaining element.

In the above described constructions the U-shaped portion of the tongue or each tongue effectively defines a bearing for the limb or portion of the hasp plate received within it which is of substantially greater crosssectional dimensions in all directions than is this limb or portion itself so that there is a large clearance between the two parts.

In the construction wherein one or both of these parts is made of a ferrous metal some rusting may take place after a period of service under adverse conditions, but the large clearance prevents any jamming or undue resistance of the hasp with respect to hinging movement relatively to the attachment element. Consequently there is no tendency for the user in opening and closing the hasp to impose stresses on the fastening elements utilised to secure the attachment element to the door or member upon which it is mounted when in use such as might cause this attachment element to be loosened or forced together with the attachment element away from the door or member.

What I claim then is:

1. In a hasp comprising an attachment plate formed with at least one aperture enabling it to be secured to the forward face of a mounting member, and a hasp plate having an aperture formed therein and hingedly connected with said attachment plate; the provision on said attachment plate of a combined hinge bearing and securement part comprising a tongue including a looped portion intermediate its ends and projecting forwardly of the forward face of said attachment plate, said looped portion extending through the aperture of said hasp plate, and having a first end portion connected integrally with said attachment plate adjacent to one end thereof, and a second end portion'projecting rearwardly of the rearward face of said attachment plate in a direction transverse to the plane of said attachment plate, said second end portion being formed with an opening whereby it can be secured to a face of said mounting member transverse to said forward face.

2. In a hasp comprising an attachment plate formed with at least one aperture enabling it to be secured to the forward face of a mounting member, and a hasp plate having an aperture formed therein and hingedly connected with said attachment plate; the provision on said attachment plate of a combined hinge bearing and securement part comprising a tongue, said attachment plate having a slot having its outer end situated at one end of said attachment plate and its inner end inset lengthwise of said attachment plate from said end thereof, said tongue having a first end portion connected integrally with said attachment plate at the inner end of said slot and said tongue including a looped portion intermediate its ends and projecting forwardly of the forward face of p said attachment plate, to overlie said slot, said looped, portion extending through the aperture of said hasp plate,

and said tongue having a second end portion projecting rearwardly of the rearward face of said attachment plate through said slot adjacent to its outer end and in a direction transverse to the plate of said attachment plate, said second end portion being formed with an opening whereby it can be secured to a face of said mounting member transverse to said forward face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

